Watch God Work: God Will Take Care of You

This message God gave me when I was scheduled to speak at the Souls Won Bishop Kenny & Pastor Shannon Watkins Zoom Service - Sunday, February 26, 2023. The Scripture Reference is Exodus 14; Psalm 46. I wanted to share this message in a blog. I hope you are blessed as you read the following message from God in Jesus name.

"You ever wonder how some things seem to work themselves out on their own? Some situations just work themselves out; with minimal to no effort on our part. Before you decided to act, the circumstance or problem troubling us either changed, was resolved, or even disappeared. Troubling us no more. While working as an Assistant Principal at a public elementary school several years ago, the principal and I used to follow the "24 Hour Rule" where we would not address nor respond to an angry or irate parent who contacted us about an issue of concern, until 24 hours later. By the time we contacted the parent 24 hours later, the situation had completely changed and the parent was very calm to the point where the meeting, discussion with the parent was so much more productive. All parties involved were in different frame of mind. The parent was apologetic, and ready to discuss the concern at hand. The problem somehow worked itself out and was resolved...maybe a misunderstanding, miscommunication, or something not as major or problematic as we originally thought. We were amazed at how things seemed to work itself out. Many times, when trouble comes our way, we immediately worry, panic, and become overwhelmed or even overcome with fear. We begin to act and react hastily because we feel WE HAVE to DO SOMETHING to eradicate the problem quickly!!! You know how people scream, "DO SOMETHING!" Just like in Exodus 14 where the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD and said unto Moses, "Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness." Wow! We become hasty with our words and our actions...not really thinking straight. We start talking out of our emotions and fear...almost making no sense at all. While working at my school one day, God spoke to me saying, "Don't make a decision in your emotions; it will be wrong every time." In fear and anxiety we always want to do something and do it quickly! Why is that? Sometimes that something doesn't come to us to do, so quickly. We must wait on GOD for WHAT TO DO! Only GOD CAN DO IT! Only GOD CAN FIX IT! We really don't know everything that is going on. The Spirit of God said to me one time, "You can't see the forest for the trees." In my emotions, I wasn't seeing things clearly! Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." God said repeatedly, in Exodus 14: I will get me honour upon Pharoah, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharoah, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen." Isaiah 55:8-13 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." God is a GOD of LOVE and His fruits of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance against such there is no law...as it says in Galatians 5:22-23. Moses reminded the Children of Israel in their time of trouble, not to fear. One of my Mom's favorite scriptures is Psalm 107, saying, "Oh give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good, for His mercy endureth for ever; Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way, they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. Oh, that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men." This verse repeats throughout Psalm 107. Praise the Lord!!!

I remember a very troubling experience I went through while working as an assistant principal at a middle school several years ago. The school principal, an African American female who I knew from church and also singing together in the Western PA Church of God In Christ (COGIC) State Choir. While working with the principal at the middle school, she became very belligerent, mean, aggressive, and confrontational all the time towards me. She was a bully. I had never worked with a principal like this before and I didn't know what to do nor how to handle this situation. Lord Jesus, the situation was pretty serious. The experience became a very hostile environment for me as the principal blamed me for everything wrong; berating me in front of staff, particularly during meetings; she screamed over the walkie-talkie that I didn't know what I was doing. Working with that principal grew increasingly challenging, so much so that we had to have the assistant superintendent come to the school and conduct mediation sessions with both of us. I found out she was meeting with the assistant superintendent complaining about me, yet he was very objective during our mediation sessions. I realized early in my school leadership experience how important it is for school principal and assistant principals to work together and lead the school as an example for the staff, but this wasn't the case. Communication was difficult between us and grew worse and worse. The principal was angry and frustrated with me all the time and I didn't know why. One day she called me into the conference room next to her office and began to reprimand me in front of the office staff. When the verbal attacks continued, I felt it best to leave so I got up from the conference table to leave, when she tried to physically block me from leaving by barricading the door with her arm/body and yelling for me to "Sit back down, I am not through with you, yet." I immediately backed away from the door as not to be confrontational and thought to myself, "Lord Jesus, this woman is crazy." I did not feel it was safe to sit back down, so I stood away from her until she finished as I could see she was very irrational. I didn't understand anything she was yelling. When she stopped, I immediately left the conference room, walked briskly to my office, called the assistant superintendent as he instructed for me to do whenever I felt unsafe around her. I reported the incident and expressed to the assistant superintendent that I felt unsafe. He directed for me to leave the school building and go home. I worried that my job was at stake, so I prayed earnestly that day, because I was afraid to return to be around the principal and/or go back to the school feeling very uneasy and afraid of not knowing what the principal would do next. The situation was escalating into physical bullying. God sat me down on the arm of the sofa and spoke clearly saying, "I know where she's at." I felt He was moving me out of the way to deal with her. God showed me in a dream, He was standing in front of the principal as she sat in a gigantic armed chair cowering with her arms covering her face. God picked up the chair by the arms and said to the principal in a loving and caring way, "If you don't stop, you are going to hurt yourself." I realized God loved her, too, and was dealing gently with her, despite the treatment she directed toward me. God loves us all; the just as well as the unjust, and deals with each of us in a loving way, as God is LOVE. I asked God, what should be my next step, and can I get away from the situation and take a leave of absence for a while to get myself together. He said to me, "You have the time, so take it." I took a sick leave of absence for the next three months, rest of October, November and December of that year. January of the next year came and my sister Karen asked me, "Did God show you anything about when you are to go back." I said, "As a matter of fact, I did have a dream" which I shared with her. God showed me in a dream I was walking towards my office at the school and one of the students ran up to me and said, "Ms. Hollis, I'm so glad you're back" and hugged me tightly. I knew it was time to return. When I returned later in January, early February, we were in a staff meeting, the principal announced that she was retiring early (before the end of the school year) from the district. Not only leaving the district, she announced she also decided to leave the city of Pittsburgh, the state of PA and move to neighboring state. Wow! I was blown away! I got home and called my younger sister, Ann and told her the amazing news of what God had done. Ann said, "Wow Deb, Look at God!!! She is not only leaving the school district, but the city and the state. That's the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost!!! Hallelujah!" We both rejoiced and praised the Lord God for His love, grace and mercy towards both myself and the principal. Watch God work...God will take care of you! By the end of the school year, I learned more that this principal had a pattern of physical aggression toward previous assistant principals who worked there prior to my assignment there. The principal got into a physical altercation with one of the previous assistant principals. God protected me from this happening in my case.

When trouble comes our way, we need the Holy Ghost power of God in Jesus name for understanding, guidance and help to respond the right way in our circumstances, victories and challenges. Remembering to seek God for help, healing, and deliverance; so that He gets the glory! 2 Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Our family experienced the loss of our beloved siblings Lori and Michael in January 2022. We leaned even more on God's Holy power through Jesus Christ to carry us through, and we are yet leaning o God in the name of Jesus. Consider the miracles of Jesus!!! Jesus said, Matthew 11:28-30, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." I am nothing without JESUS!!! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Sometimes in our haste to do or say something during troubled times because of our worry, anxiety, and fear we say and/or do the wrong thing! James 1:19 says, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh NOT the righteousness of God." Wisdom and understanding comes with listening as James 1:22 says, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." God's Word makes all the difference...changes circumstances. Do we realize God's Word is the only way things are getting done; only way we are moving and being is because God said and He spoke it into being. We are living the word of God! We think we are the ones making things happen. It's God in us! Just like God told Moses, tell the people to go forward! Then He told Moses to stretch forth the rod in his hand to part the sea! The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge! John 14:11-12 Jesus says, "Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father/" Acts 1:8 says, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Thank God for Jesus! Blessings in Jesus name!